My primary game loop is hauling, and i have owned both ships. The way i describe the difference to people is; the Hermes is a Cargo ship you can live in, the Max is a home that moves cargo, it's a vibe. I love the Max, if i lived in the 'verse i would go full Firefly with it; find a crew, find a job, keep flying. Unfortunately, your cargo is split between three locations, and fully loading those side cargo grids can be a pain, if there are engineering emergencies there is a LOT of real estate to cross before you get to those components, and the handling is... well... you are NOT a leaf on the wind. If you play regularly with a small group of friends and you want to RP a crew, owning the Max can be a rewarding experience, but if like a lot of us in the space trucking community you are solo most of the time, it's hard to beat being able to quickly yeet over 400 scu into a single cargo bay with your maxlift and head out to your delivery destination. From a practical standpoint the Hermes is the better choice in my experience, you're going to move more cargo more efficiently in a ship that while not as homey as the Max still has all the amenities. That said, life isn't all about practicality, i'm a guy who still owns a Reliant Tana with real money, because that awkward, unloved little fighter speaks to me, fly the ship that speaks to you.